


A Good Addition

by DeeNomilk



Series: Tashok the Dragonborn [10]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: I love the people of rifted but hate the government there, Tash has low self-esteem what else is new, also riften, building relationships, frienship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 20:04:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18453668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeeNomilk/pseuds/DeeNomilk
Summary: While in the Rift to recover some of Shalidor's insights for Urag, Tashok meets new folks and gains a new friend.





	A Good Addition

Tashok finds herself in the middle of Riften’s market, trying to sell off her potions and other trinkets she found in her travels for a reasonable price. She’s currently exchanging some for coin with a Dunmer merchant while Brelyna, healthy as ever, browses the jeweller’s stocks excitedly.

“Thank you…” Tashok pauses. “What did you say your name was?”

“Brand-Shei.” the Dunmer answers. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Likewise… That’s an interesting name, for a dark elf I mean.”

“Well, I may be Dunmer by birth, but I was raised Argonian.”

Brand-Shei face glows with a subtle pride.

“Through reasons I'm still trying to discover, I ended up orphaned then taken in by a kindly Argonian family in Black Marsh.” he explains. “I hope one day to finally find out what happened to me... how I ended up like that.”

“I understand.” Tashok gives him a small nod. “I was found by dockworkers and fishermen as a baby, along with a few other Orc children. The only thing they had was our names, put in order of oldest to youngest.”

Their familiar backstory is a pleasant surprise to Bran-Shei. It’s not every day he gets to meet another who has a past similar to his.

“Do you wonder sometimes, where you came from?” Brand-Shei asks.

“All the time…” Tashok admits with a sigh. “It’s the one question that always creeps back, isn’t it? Did you find any clues about your past?”

"Just the one: I know when I was found by my Argonian father, I was wrapped in a blanket bearing the symbol of House Telvanni… It was one of the great houses in Morrowind, long ago. Whether that means I was one of them or not, I'm uncertain. If you come across anything in your travels that might provide me with the answers I'm looking for, I'd be grateful.”

“Telvanni?!”

Tashok frowns and brings her thumb to her lip thoughtfully… She’s heard that name a few times. Brelyna says she’s a descendent… but that’s not what comes to mind. It spoke of the Argonian Invasion of 4E 6.

“Hold up.” she digs through her knapsack, and finds an old, tattered journal that was clearly once an elegant book. “Check this out… It’s written by a member of House Telvanni.”

“Let me see that!” Brand-Shei eagerly takes the book and opens it. “Yes… yes. This is it!”

His shock and excitement draws Tashok in: she walks around the stall and peers at the pages, despite having read them already.

“I don't know how you found this stranger, but you've obviously succeeded where I had failed.” he smiles up at her gratefully. “Please, let me offer you this key. It unlocks my strongbox under my stand in the marketplace. Help yourself to anything inside.”

“Oh goodness me, it’s my pleasure.” Tashok raises her hands and shakes her head to refuse, but the key is pressed directly into her palm, as Brand-Shei closes her fingers around it.

“Nonsense.” he also shakes his head. “It’s the least I can do to repay you.”

“I… thank you.”

She looks down at the key.

“What’s your name, anyways?” Brand-Shei inquires.

“Tashok.” she smiles at him. “Tashok gra-Wayrest.”

“I hope to see you again soon, Tashok.”

“Same to you, Brand-Shei.”

—

Tashok stares at the sleeping Khajit before her, deep in thought. While resting at The Bee and the Bard, she heard of a strange Khajiit who actually paid to be jailed, and decided she would investigate the strange fellow in the morning.

He introduced himself as Inigo, and insisted he knew her, that they’d worked together, and wouldn’t accept that they’d never met before. It didn’t make any sense, considering she’d only set foot into Skyrim less than two months ago. Her heart skipped a beat as part of her entertained the notion that perhaps he’d met one of her real blood-relatives, if the resemblance was so strong.

But as soon as the thoughts came, her mind pushed them back away.

 _What would be the odds?_ the back of her mind speaks.

_Your family’s dead._

She sighs and glances at the man, fast asleep along with Brelyna.

Nonetheless, he seemed like a good person, eager to help others, and Tashok had managed to convince him to follow her across Skyrim rather than wilt away in a filthy cell.

“I sure wished we’d had him with us when we went into that crypt. And in that Witch’s coven.” Lucien notices her staring at Inigo.

“What?” Tashok breaks from her stream of thoughts. “Right! Yes, that was scary. Good thing we had those Invisibility potions on us.”

“And your healing potions. Dare I say, they’ve become more effective since then, your practice has paid off.”

“Well, with the College giving me access to their alchemy table, I’ve had the chance to actually sit down and work. I don’t have to worry about production, just learning! No quota whatsoever. Plus all those books… I only wish they had a master alchemist who could teach more.”

“You know what they say… Be the change you want to see.”

Tashok snorts, before wrinkling her nose bitterly.

“Yeah… sure.” she crosses her arms gloomily. “As if anyone would want to learn from an Orc.”

“Why not?” Lucien asks, surprised by his cheerful friend’s vitriol.

“Oh _please_ , no one wants an Orc giving them orders, much less admit we'd know more than them. Can’t have that.”

“I seemed to have opened a jar of worms…”

Tashok starts a bit, her sneer faltering.

“Sorry.” she sighs. “It’s just… I’ve always had to work twice as hard for half the payoff. It’s… exhausting. Always trying to prove people wrong. Prove that I’m worth something, or worth listening to… Sometimes I wonder if I actually am…”

“You don’t owe others anything, Tash.” Lucien declares. “You’re a fine scholar, a mighty good archer and a great person, with or without anyone’s approval.”

Tashok mind takes a moment to wrap itself around the praise, her cheeks reddening as she takes it in.

“You’re pretty great too, you know.” Tashok smiles warmly at her friend. “I’m glad to have you around.”

“That’s good to hear.” Lucien sighs, relieved. “If I may suggest an improvement…”

“Yes?”

“I could do with less Draugrs, or a the very least more preparation before entering some old ruin.”

“Ha! But I thought you loved ruins?!”

“I do! They’re fascinating… So much history within them, more than I could get from just books, anyways. Although books are much safer it seems.”

“Isn’t that always the case? Can’t say I’ve heard of a dangerous book.”

“Who knows?”

A content silence falls between them, but Tashok’s mind slowly crawls back to people’s perception of her. Specifically that of her race. Everyone in Highrock always put value in refinement and magic, while arts such as smithing, or fighting were seen as less savoury. It seemed everything Orcs are known to be good at was devalued, and it turn, so were they. Or maybe it was the other way around?

“What’s on your mind?” Lucien asks. “You look like you’ve just stepped in a particularly nasty mucus puddle.”

“It’s just… I feel like people see me and see some brute.” Tashok sighs. “And I want to prove them they’re wrong, that I’m not like other Orcs, but then I feel awful for thinking that…”

“I see.” is all Lucien says.

“Only narrow-minded people judge others by their race.” Inigo’s groggy voice startles both Tashok and Lucien. “My father used to say, the people who matter do not care, and those who care do not matter.”

“You’re awake!” Tashok notes.

“Yes, I could not help but overhear you. I assure you, I value people by their character and their actions, not something as superficial as their race.”

“Good to know.” Tashok smiles. “Still, it’s… frustrating to know how many opportunities were out of reach for me because of what I am.”

“The College seems to be a place of equal opportunities.” Lucien comments. “Look at Urag, he’s a respected member, and is even in charge of the Arcaneum.”

Tashok pauses to give this some thought.

“You know what, you’re right!” she agrees with fire in her eyes. “Skyrim may not be very welcoming, but the College is.”

“That is the spirit. Blow them away with your skills!” Inigo says, before adding. “Eh, not literally.”

“I won’t.” Tashok chuckles. “I was ever really interested in Destruction magic…”

“That is, good to know…”

Tashok quirks her eyebrow at the tone.

“Does magic make you uncomfortable?” she asks.

“A bit… I simply, do not understand it.” Inigo explains.

“Oh boy, you’re in for a treat…” Tashok giggles.

“Is that… treat, involve us going to the College of Winterhold?” Inigo laughs nervously.

“Sure is!” Tashok snaps her fingers and points them at Inigo. “Prepare for the smell of knowledge to fill your nostrils!”

“And smelly alchemy ingredients.” Lucien quips.

“Lucien!!” Tashok gasps in response before chuckling. “That’s how you know they’re good.”

—

“So, this is where I sleep!” Tashok points to her slightly ajar door leading to her bedroom within the College.

“Lovely. This is a very strange place.” Inigo says. “Thank you for the tour.”

“Oh, we still need to introduce you to Urag!”

She takes Inigo by the hand and leads him out the doors and into the main chamber, before turning and going up the stairs.

“Urag!” she calls out.

“Yes?” Urag’s gruff voice responds as she turns the corner into the Arcaneum.

“I made a new friend, his name’s Inigo!”

“Eh, charmed.” Inigo nods slightly, hand still being help by Tashok.

“You’re bring another one of those… stragglers?” Ancano’s voice resonates as he approaches them, somehow still keeping his distance, as if they were diseased. “That the Arch Mage allows this is still baffling to me.”

“You’re looking back to normal!” Tashok notes.

“Hmpf…” Ancano looks away, his eyes narrow. “Regardless, I don’t understand why the Archmage, or Mirabelle for that matter, allow you to keep bringing people and animals in.”

“How so?” tilts her head. Ancano seems to be the only one to have a problem with it. Perhaps he's the only one to voice his protests to her.

_Hope not..._

“No matter, I have more important things to do than to listen to your blabbering…”He rolls his eyes and takes whatever book he was reading away with him.

“Well, Inigo, just don’t go destroying any books and we’ll get along fine.” Urag says before turning back to his inventory.

“Speaking of books…” Tashok takes out a book from her knapsack and hands him to Urag. “Found another one of Shalidor’s writings… It was actually at Faldar’s Tooth, believe it or not.”

“Perfect!” Urag _almost_ smiles as he takes the book, admiring its binding. “You know the drill: give me a day or two and I’ll have it translated.”

“You’ve got to teach me some of those ancient languages someday… Would be nice to know what these Draugr are yelling at me as they attack.”

“Next time, try and write down what’s being said. Could be interesting to see any differences, or even better, what the dead Nords have to say.”

“I’ll make sure to keep an ear out.”

“Might be hard to do when you’re fighting for your life…” Lucien points out.

“Ah, true that.” Tashok blushes. “…Anyways, anything new on Alchemy?”

“Not since last week…” Urag snickers before leaning back to pluck a book off one of the nearby stands. “But Phinis told me you’ve taken an interest to Enchanting… Try reading this…”

He hands her a brown leather book with angular carvings, waiting as Tashok opens the first page.

“Enchanter’s Primer…” Tashok reads the title. “Thank you!”

“This should cover some of the basics, but you’ll get the best results by practicing.” Urag explains. “I’m sure you’ll do fine. Us Orsimer tend to have a knack for it anyways.”

Tashok lets her hand hover above the pages before looking up at Urag and smiling.

“Thanks again…” she says. “I’ll be sure to read it from start to finish.”

“You’ve got a talent for finding important books.” Urag notes. “If you see anything interesting while you… do whatever it is you do out there, bring them to me.”

“Will do.”

**Author's Note:**

> This one's been written for a long time, one of the first drabbles I wrote, actually.


End file.
